Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne facts for kids

Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (born May 22, 1724 – died June 12, 1772) was a French explorer and privateer. A privateer was like a pirate, but they had permission from their government to attack enemy ships. He led an important journey to find a huge, unknown southern land in 1771.

During his trip, he made big discoveries in the south Indian Ocean. He also learned a lot about the people and lands of Tasmania and New Zealand. His group stayed on shore in New Zealand longer than any other European explorers before them. Sadly, during this expedition, Marion du Fresne was killed by members of the Ngare Raumati tribe.

Today, many places are named after him. There is also a research ship called Marion Dufresne II. This ship helps support the French territories in the southern oceans, like Île Amsterdam and Îles Kerguelen.

Early Life and Adventures

Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne was born in Saint-Malo in France in 1724. When he was just 11 years old, he joined the French East India Company. This company traded goods from Asia. He started as a sub-lieutenant on a ship called the Duc de Bourgogne.

During a war called the War of the Austrian Succession, he commanded several ships. He even helped Charles Edward Stuart travel from Scotland to France. Later, in the Seven Years' War, he was part of naval operations. He once took an astronomer, Alexandre Guy Pingré, to the Indian Ocean. The astronomer needed to watch a rare event called the 1761 transit of Venus.

After these wars, he continued sailing with the East India Company. In 1766, he settled in Port Louis on the island of Mauritius. He also worked there as the harbourmaster, managing the port. The French East India Company closed down in 1769. Then, a big storm in 1770 damaged many French ships in Port Louis. Soon after these events, du Fresne lost his job. The French military also reduced its presence in Mauritius.

The Search for a Southern Land

Map showing the journey of the Mascarin and Marquis de Castries ships. It shows their trip to New Zealand and their return after Marion du Fresne's death.

A memorial fountain in Hobart, Tasmania. It marks 200 years since Europeans first saw Tasmania in 1772.

In October 1770, Marion du Fresne convinced Pierre Poivre to help him. Poivre was a French official in Port Louis. Du Fresne wanted two ships for a special mission in the Pacific Ocean. Another explorer, Louis Antoine de Bougainville, had recently returned from the Pacific. He had brought a Tahitian man named Ahutoru with him.

Du Fresne's first task was to take Ahutoru back to his home island. After that, he was to explore the South Pacific. He hoped to find a huge, unknown continent called Terra Australis Incognita. For this journey, du Fresne was given two ships: the Mascarin and the Marquis de Castries. They set sail on October 18, 1771.

Du Fresne spent most of his own money to get the ships ready and hire a crew. He hoped to make a lot of money by trading with the rich islands of the South Pacific. However, his mission did not go as planned. Ahutoru died from smallpox soon after they left. The expedition also did not find Terra Australis or make a profit from trade.

Instead, du Fresne discovered the Prince Edward Islands and then the Crozet Islands. After that, his ships sailed towards New Zealand and Australia. They spent several days in Tasmania. A place called Marion Bay in the south-east of Tasmania is named after him. He was the first European to explore the island. He also showed that Tasmania was not empty of people, because he met Aboriginal Tasmanians.

Arriving in New Zealand

A monument at Te Hue Bay in New Zealand. It remembers Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and his group.

On March 25, 1772, du Fresne saw New Zealand's Mount Taranaki. He named it Pic Mascarin. He did not know that James Cook had already named it "Mount Egmont" three years earlier.

For the next month, the French sailors repaired their ships. They also treated their scurvy, a sickness caused by lack of vitamin C. They first stopped at Spirits Bay, then later at the Bay of Islands. At first, their relationship with the Māori seemed friendly. They used Tahitian words, which they learned from Ahutoru, and sign language to talk. They became friends with many Māori, including Te Kauri (Te Kuri) from the Ngāpuhi tribe.

The French explorers started a large vegetable garden on Moturua Island. Sixty French sailors had scurvy and were recovering in a tent hospital on shore. The Māori invited the French to visit their pa (a fortified village), which was very rare. The French even slept there overnight. In return, Māori were invited onto the ships and slept there too. One time, du Fresne was invited to a special celebration on shore. There, he was crowned, and Te Kauri made it clear that he was making du Fresne the "king" of the area. The French officers carefully studied Māori customs, like greetings, fishing, and the role of women.

During these months, there were two times when Māori were held by the French. The first time, a Māori man had secretly boarded a ship and stolen a knife. He was held for a short time to scare him, then released to his friends. Later, Māori raided the hospital camp at night. They took many guns and uniforms. While soldiers chased the raiders, other Māori stole an anchor. Two Māori men were held as hostages until the stolen items were returned. One of them admitted he was involved in the theft. He also said Te Kauri was involved. Du Fresne found the men tied up and ordered them to be freed. Later, an armed group of Māori approached the French as if to challenge them. But the French understood enough Māori customs to make peace by exchanging gifts.

A Tragic End and Aftermath

No French person who saw Marion du Fresne's death survived. It took some time for his crew to find out what happened. Two French officers, Jean Roux and Ambroise du Clesmeur, later wrote about the events.

On the night of June 9, 1772, French guards at the hospital camp saw about six Māori sneaking around. In the morning, they found that Māori had also been near a second camp where the French were making ship masts. The next day, Māori arrived with a gift of fish. Roux noticed the visiting chief looking closely at the French weapons and how the camp was set up. He became suspicious. The chief asked for the guns to be shown, and Roux shot a dog with one.

That night, more Māori were seen on Moturua Island near the hospital camp. They ran away when guards approached. Captain du Clesmeur warned Marion du Fresne about the suspicious activity, but Marion did not listen. On the afternoon of June 12, 1772, Marion du Fresne and 15 armed sailors went to Te Kauri's village. Then, Marion went in a small boat to his favorite fishing spot. Marion du Fresne and 26 of his men were killed. This included officers and sailors.

That night, 400 armed Māori suddenly attacked the hospital camp. But the French had many powerful guns, which stopped the attack. Roux held his fire and realized they had almost been killed in their sleep.

In the days that followed, the French were attacked again and again. The next day, about 1,200 Māori surrounded the French, led by Te Kauri. As they came closer, Roux ordered Te Kauri to be shot. Later, even more Māori arrived. The French decided to leave the hospital camp. The Māori then stole all the tools and supplies and burned the camp down. The French could see that the Māori were wearing the clothes of Marion du Fresne and his dead sailors.

The French moved back to Moturua Island. That night, Māori attacked the camp again, and this time the French fired their guns. The next day, even more Māori arrived, bringing their total force to about 1,500 men. The French, with only 26 armed soldiers, charged this huge force and made them run away. The Māori fled back to Te Kauri's village. The French attacked the village, firing at the defenders, who threw spears at them. The remaining Māori got into canoes and escaped. About 250 Māori, including five chiefs, were killed in the battle. Many French soldiers were also wounded.

Roux, Julien–Marie Crozet, and Ambroise Bernard-Marie du Clesmeur took command together. They took action against the Māori for about a month while the ships were made ready to leave.

Roux left on July 12, 1772. The French buried a bottle at Waipoa on Moturua. It contained the French coat of arms and a statement claiming the whole country for France, calling it "France Australe." However, stories about Marion du Fresne's death spread widely. These stories gave New Zealand a bad name as a dangerous place. They also challenged the idea that Pacific Islanders were always peaceful, which was a common belief in Europe at the time.

Why Did the Attack Happen?

There are different ideas about why the Māori attacked the French landing site.

• One idea is that the chief Te Kauri (Te Kuri) thought Marion du Fresne was a threat to his power.
• Another reason might be that Te Kauri became worried about how much food his tribe had to give to the two French crews.
• It is also possible that Marion's crew, perhaps without knowing it, broke several tapu laws. Tapu are sacred rules. For example, they might not have performed the right rituals before cutting down kauri trees. Or they might have broken a tapu by fishing in Manawaora Bay.

Images for kids

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  Map showing the journey of the Mascarin and Marquis de Castries ships. It shows their trip to New Zealand and their return after Marion du Fresne's death.

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  A memorial fountain in Hobart, Tasmania. It marks 200 years since Europeans first saw Tasmania in 1772.

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  A monument at Te Hue Bay in New Zealand. It remembers Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and his group.

See also

In Spanish: Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne para niños